Hello Co-op friends and fans!
As we come out of the Independence Day weekend, I find myself reflecting on independent businesses. (What can I say, I’m a local business nerd!) Local independent businesses matter. They make our community more interesting and more financially stable as more money from local businesses stay in the area than chain businesses. Studies done all over the country have actually quantified this positive phenomenon as the “Local Multiplier Effect” and it boils down to this: Spending money locally has three times more local impact than spending at a chain business. THREE TIMES! Wowza! If you want to check the details, here is a good article that talks about it
The Multiplier Effect of Local Independent Business ⋆ Reclaim Democracy!
In Greenbelt there are lots of choices to get groceries, but did you know that most of them are gigantic multi-national conglomerates? It’s true, here’s the deets- Giant (owned by Dutch company Ahold), Lidl and Aldi (owned by two German conglomerates), Whole Foods (owned by Amazon), and Safeway (not a multi-national but owned by the second largest grocery chain in North America, Albertson’s). And the reality is there’s only one local full line supermarket that is owned by your friends and neighbors and that’s Co-op! So, this week, consider celebrating Independents like us and the other great TRULY local businesses in Greenbelt, it matters!
At Co-op we’re deepening our local connections all the time and this past week we’ve brought in the most new local items we ever have in one week with several great new items from the DMV area now throughout the store (we brought in so many we ran out of LOCAL signs to put on them all!). Here are just a few highlights:
- We have LOCAL MARYLAND milk in glass bottles now! Yep, South Mountain Creamery is now at Co-op! https://southmountaincreamery.com/ We’re carrying a variety of milk choices in quarts and half gallons as well as some of their other beverages. Once we get into baking season, we’ll probably pick up their heavy cream and some other items. As they say on their website, “South Mountain Creamery milk is minimally processed by the same family and team that milks the cows.”
- Scratch Pasta Company homemade pasta. https://www.scratchpastaco.com/
- Woodfire Pita Chips- pita chips are really popular here and we’re delighted to add a great local one to the mix. https://www.woodfirebrands.com/
- Mount Royal Soaps from Baltimore- we’re carrying their hand soap for now. https://www.mountroyalsoaps.com/pages/about-other
- Good Molly’s Allergy-friendly Cookie, a Maryland grown company- “Good Molly's are made without gluten, peanuts, dairy, egg, soy, or tree nuts (other than coconut). All are made from scratch the way you'd make them in your own kitchen. Baked goods baked better.” https://goodmollys.com/
- These join recent local favorites like Farmer Focus Chicken (Shenandoah family farms), J. W. Treuth Beef (from Catonsville and regional family farms), Calvert Farms, Castlebridge Flower Farm, Capitol Kettle Corn (from D.C.), and longtime locals Wild Kombucha (from Baltimore), Dodah’s Kitchen, Heba’s Mediterranean and so many more! We know you love local and we’re embracing it more and more all the time!
Cherries! Oh yeah and there's other delicious fruit, too!
Teddy and the produce team are pulling out all the stops to make sure you reach your goal to EAT ALL THE FRUIT this Summer! Cherries (that taste great) for the bonkers low price of $1.99/lb! We also have killer deals on strawberries and blueberries, too! Now is the time to be focusing on cherries, berries, melons, grapes and stone fruit like peaches, nectarines, and plums. All these fruits are at peak season right now so don’t miss out! Tips for getting more fruit in: Buy a bunch of it from us (or the farmer’s market (or both!)), leave a bowl of cherries or berries, or grapes out handy on the counter so you remember to snack on them as you walk by; cut melons (or buy them cut from us), and put them in a container in the fridge so they’re ready for you at all times, choose fruit for dessert, snack, and breakfast! Use these tips and you will find you are winning the Summer (fruit) Olympics!
Co-op cooks so you don't have to
Meatless Monday on July 12,
will feature fan favorite Dodah’s Kitchen Spinach Lasagna and side salad for $7.99!
Ultimate Chicken Dinner Wednesday has two size options- Chicken Dinner for 2: 4-piece roasted chicken, 2 small sides-YOUR CHOICE, 2 rolls for $4.99. FAMILY Chicken: 8-piece chicken, 4 rolls & 2 large sides: mac 'n cheese & a choice of potato salad or coleslaw-$6.99!
Fish Friday dinner is a hearty Salmon fillet baked in Himalayan pink sea salt and garlic butter, with brown rice & steamed broccoli for $7.99.
All meals are available for pick-up at the deli from 4-7 p.m. You are welcome to pre-order by calling (301) 474-0522 by 1 p.m. on the day of the meal.
Here's the deal
The New Deal Café will be opening up soon with an awesome menu (including coffee and smoothies) made by the Co-op beginning in late July! Stay tuned for more details. In this photo, Ashley is at Zeke's Coffee learning how to make specialty coffee drinks.
Have a great week and see you soon!
Dan Gillotte
Greenbelt Co-op GM and E-mail Guy
Hey, check it out! We have a new sample stand in produce. Today it has strawberries in it! Strawberries are on sale this week 2/$6.00.
July Patron Appreciation Day will be Wednesday, July 28.
Here are four great reasons our customers are using Co-op's curbside pickup:
